Twin comets make closest approach to Earth in over 200 years

Earlier in the week, two comets passed by the Earth, passing closer than any comet has in over 200 years.

Comet 252P, also known as LINEAR, and Comet P/2016 BA14, also known as PanSTARRS, both made their closest approaches to Earth on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. While they passed close to the planet for a comet, they maintained a safe distance.

While the comets have already made their closest approach to Earth, stargazers may be able to catch a glimpse into early April.

Comet LINEAR

This comet was the first to pass by Earth and was the brightest of the two comets, almost visible to the unaided eye.

Comet LINEAR made its closest approach to Earth on Monday, coming within 3.2-million miles of Earth (approximately 14 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon). It was the fifth closest comet to pass by Earth in recorded history.

Up until Thursday, Comet LINEAR was visible only to stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere. However, the orbit of the comet is such that people in the Northern Hemisphere will be able to spot it in the night sky over the next several weeks.

"It will be lifting higher and higher in the night sky heading into April," Samuhel said. "We just can't say for certain whether it will be visible to the naked eye."

Even if it is not visible to the unaided eye, people should still be able to spot Comet LINEAR with a pair of binoculars or a telescope. The comet should give off a green glow and should be visible through the opening days of April, depending on cloud cover in your area.